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UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS "YES-NO" LETTER
One of my early assignments as an officer in the Marine Corps was to write recruiting letters. I
quickly learned how difficult that kind of direct mail selling can be. By the time I was assigned to
recruiting duty, the Marine Corps had hired J. Walter Thompson agency to create its direct mail —
and they've been doing an effective job of it for the past 35 years.
One of their most effective letters utilizes several tried-and-proved commercial mailing techniques.
First of all, there's a screening lead:
The letter offered a premium:
And it had an action device:
It's the tough choice — the Marine Corps. We're a small, elite branch of
the Service. We aren't for everyone.
We have a poster we'd like to send you. If the Marine spirit grabs
your imagination, you won't want to miss getting a copy.
Affix the yes stamp to the enclosed postage-paid reply card. Find out
if you qualify to be one of the few, the proud, the Marines . . . today.
www.greatestsalesletters.com - 363 -